Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for passing messages in a network of nodes between nodes in said network, wherein each of said nodes may be a source or a destination of said messages and wherein each of said nodes may pass a message to any other node in said network of nodes, the method comprising the steps of: arranging representations of said nodes as column headings and as row headings in a two dimensional array with a representation of each node appearing once as a column heading and once as a row heading; placing a token at the intersections of the node representations in the two dimensional array, wherein said token may be associated with an indication of whether a message is to be passed between the nodes represented by the intersecting node representations, and wherein if a message is to be passed, the token may further be associated with message parameters for the message to be passed between the nodes, the so-created array embodying a communication pattern for the passage of the messages between the nodes over the network; associating each of said tokens with said indications and said message parameters; and passing messages between said nodes having said token at the intersections of their node representations in the two dimensional array if said token is associated with the indication that a message is to be passed, the passing of the messages being defined by the message parameters associated with said token.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein each of said nodes stores at least a portion of the two-dimensional array corresponding to the messages to be passed for said nodes.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein each of said nodes may access a memory location in a host node wherein is stored said two-dimensional array.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein if no message is to be passed between two of said nodes, the token at the intersection of their node representations is not associated with said indication and is not associated with said message parameters.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the two dimensional array is generated by a computer program.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein each of said nodes in said network examines said two-dimensional array according to an identical set of instructions executed by each of said nodes and wherein each of said nodes, via said execution of said instructions, is capable of passing messages to other nodes in accordance with the tokens in the two-dimensional array.
7. A method according to claim 1 wherein said network includes a host node, having a host-node memory for providing said indications and said message parameters for defining the passing of the messages between the nodes over the network, and wherein said token placed at the intersection of the node representations for nodes between which messages are to be passed is an address of the host-node memory in which said indications and said message parameters are stored, the method further including the steps of: placing said indications and said message parameters in the host-node memory at the host-node memory addresses indicated by each of the tokens at the intersection of the node representations in the two-dimensional array for nodes between which messages are to be passed; and retrieving from said host-node memory the indications and said message parameters stored at the host-node memory addresses indicated by each of the tokens.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein said token placed at the intersection of the node representations in the two-dimensional array is an encoded word capable of being decoded by said node to determine said indication of whether messages are to be passed by said node and to determine said message parameters associated with the token defining the message passing operation.
9. A method according to claim 1 wherein said message parameters include whether the message is to be passed by synchronous or asynchronous transmission.
10. A method according to claim 1 wherein said message parameters include the bit length of the message to be passed.
11. A method according to claim 1 wherein said message parameters include whether or not the transmission of the message is to be timed.
12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of passing messages between the nodes is performed repeatedly to determine whether the capacity of the network to handle the passage of messages will degrade over time.
13. A method according to claim 1 wherein said message parameters include an operation to be performed upon the message after the message has been passed.
14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the node representations appearing as row headings of said two dimensional array represent nodes from which the messages are to be passed and the node representations appearing as column headings of said two dimensional array represent nodes to which the messages are to be passed.
15. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of: examining each intersection between each of the node representations appearing as row headings for each node in the two dimensional array with each of the node representations appearing as column headings for each node in the two dimensional array; determining whether each of said examined intersections of said row headings and said column headings includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes; and passing a message from each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes.
16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the passing of said message from said node represented by said node representation appearing as said row heading on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes is performed in accordance with the message parameters associated with said token.
17. A method according to claim 1 wherein the node representations appearing as column headings of said two dimensional array represent nodes from which the messages are to be passed and the node representations appearing as row headings of said two dimensional array represent nodes to which the messages are to be passed.
18. A method according to claim 17 further comprising the steps of: examining each intersection between each of the node representations appearing as column headings for each node in the two dimensional array with each of the node representations appearing as row headings for each node in the two dimensional array; determining whether each of said examined intersections of said row headings and said column headings includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes; and passing a message from each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes.
19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the passing of said message from said node represented by said node representation appearing as said column heading on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes is performed in accordance with the message parameters associated with said token.
20. A method according to claim 1 wherein successive versions of said two dimensional array are arranged, and wherein each of the successive versions of said two dimensional array may include the tokens associated with the indication that messages are to be passed between the nodes at the intersections of different node representations, to embody successive and potentially different communication patterns for the passage of messages between the nodes over the network, the method further including the steps of: arranging the successive versions of the two dimensional array to form a three dimensional array wherein the third dimension comprises the successive versions of said two dimensional array; placing a token at the intersections of the node representations in each of the successive versions of the two dimensional array, wherein said token may be associated with an indication of whether a message is to be passed between the nodes represented by the intersecting node representations, and wherein if a message is to be passed the token may further be associated with message parameters for the message to be passed between the nodes, each of the so-created arrays embodying a communication pattern for the passage of the messages between the nodes over the network; associating each of said tokens with said indications and said message parameters; successively passing messages between said nodes having said token at the intersections of their node representations in each of the successive versions of the two dimensional array if said token is associated with the indication that a message is to be passed, the passing of the messages being defined by the message parameters associated with said token.
21. A method according to claim 20 wherein if no message is to be passed between two of said nodes, the token at the intersection of their node representations is a zero.
22. The method according to claim 20 wherein each of the successive versions of the two dimensional array are generated by a computer program.
23. A method according to claim 20 wherein the node representations appearing as row headings of each of said successive versions of the two dimensional array represent nodes from which the messages are to be passed, and the node representations appearing as column headings of said successive versions of the two dimensional array represent nodes to which the messages are to be passed.
24. The method according to claim 23 wherein the step of passing messages further includes the steps of: examining each intersection of the node representations in said successive versions of said two dimensional array for each of the node representations defined by the row headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array with each of the node representations defined by the column headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array; determining for each of the examined intersections of the node representations, whether one of the tokens associated with the indication that a message is to be passed is included therein; and passing a message from each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on said successive versions of the two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes.
25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the passing of said message from said node represented by said node representation appearing as said row heading on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on said successive versions of said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes is performed in accordance with the message parameters associated with said token.
26. A method according to claim 20 wherein the node representations appearing as column headings of each of said successive versions of the two dimensional array represent nodes from which the messages are to be passed, and the node representations appearing as row headings of said successive versions of the two dimensional array represent nodes to which the messages are to be passed.
27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the step of passing messages further includes the steps of: examining each intersection of the node representations in said successive versions of said two dimensional array for each of the node representations defined by the column headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array with each of the node representations defined by the row headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array; determining for each of the examined intersections of the node representations, whether one of the tokens associated with the indication that a message is to be passed is included therein; and passing a message from each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said column headings on the successive versions of the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on said successive versions of the two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes.
28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the passing of said message from said node represented by said node representation appearing as said column heading on the two dimensional array to each of said nodes represented by said node representations appearing as said row headings on said successive versions of said two dimensional array, if said examined intersection therebetween includes one of said tokens associated with an indication that a message is to be passed between the two nodes, is performed in accordance with the message parameters associated with said token.
29. A method according to claim 20 wherein for the message passing for said successive versions of said two dimensional array each of the nodes executes an identical set of instructions.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
Unknown
August 22, 2000
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